RUSSELL WINS BIG BUCK GNCC

04/14/2014
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Union, SC – Factory FMF/KTM rider Kailub Russell took his third win in a row in the GNCC XC1 Pro class at the fourth round of the GNCC Series while KTM Factory support rider Grant Baylor secured a victory in the XC2 Pro Lites class.

For the first time this season, the weather was very warm and the GNCC course was dry and dusty. Large tree roots and square-edged bumps were the challenge for the riders during the six-lap, three-hour race. Off the start of the pro race, it was Factory FMF/KTM riders Charlie Mullins and Steward Baylor who had the best jump off the line sitting inside the top five. Russell also had a good jump but came together with another rider in the first corner and got tangled in the turn. He recovered at the back of the pack and set to work to pick off riders through the dusty conditions.

At the end of the first lap Mullins had already moved into the lead while Russell had climbed up to 5th place approximately 40 seconds down from Mullins. At the end of the second lap, Mullins still maintained the lead while Russell had moved up to 2nd place closing the gap to Mullins to 15 seconds.

Russell took the lead from Mullins on the third lap of the race and battled with his teammate until the pit stop. Both riders came in simultaneously to fuel and returned back to the track in the top two positions. Shortly after, Russell began to pull ahead of Mullins and was able to gain a lead on his teammate. At the end of the six lap race, he was able to take the win by 1 minute over Mullins who hung on for 2nd place. Steward Baylor struggled with a sore wrist from the rough track and ended up 8th overall for the day.

In the XC2 Pro Lites class, Grant Baylor earned a 3rd place start off the line. He lost some positions on the second lap of the race when he had to stop for fuel. From that point on, he turned up the speed and was able to start making passes toward the front of the pack. On the final lap he had moved within 10 seconds of the lead rider. He pushed hard and was able to get around the rider and take over the lead and capture the XC2 Pro Lites win. Now four rounds into the series, Baylor holds the XC2 Pro Lites points lead by 3 points.

Factory FMF/KTM rider Kacy Martinez, who has won the past three WXC races, settled for 2nd place at the fourth round of the series. Martinez earned a top three start and led the first two laps of the race. On the third lap, Martinez and Jessica Patterson were battling for the lead when they made contact which caused Martinez to suffer a crash. She quickly recovered from the crash but was unable to catch back up to Patterson and she finished the race in 2nd place.